


Waking Up, No. 2

by stonegirl77



Series: Waking Up [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Car Accidents, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2018-02-26 07:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2642681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonegirl77/pseuds/stonegirl77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reader wakes up in a hospital next to none other than Captain America. As pleased as she is by this, she's less pleased when he starts treating her differently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waking Up, No. 2

**Author's Note:**

> This one ended up being lots longer than expected, but I suppose that works out all right.   
> As always, please let me know what you think!!

_Am I awake?_  

I thought lazily about moving my eyes. Nah. I decided to stretch instead, starting to lift my hands above my head, but something wasn’t quite right…

My eyes flew open and I tried to sit up as I realised that I had something connected to my left hand. And I didn’t know where I was. And there had been someone holding my hand. I looked around. I was in a hospital, and for good reason, I knew, as my attempt to sit up malfunctioned. My heath throbbed, my midsection protested, and I flopped back on the bed. When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by a familiar pair of blue eyes.

“Hi there,” I croaked.

“_______,” Steve replied, stroking my cheek. I leaned into his touch. “You’re awake!” Was I imagining the relief in his tone?

“Wha-,” I started. I still sounded like the crypt-keeper, so I cleared my throat and tried again. “What happened?”

Steve’s face grew grim. “What do you remember?”

I had to think about that. I’d been visiting Darcy up at Stark Tower while I was in town, then I’d taken a taxi - a screech of tyres, the sound of metal on metal, and a blue pickup truck barreling towards me flashed before my eyes. “Car crash?” I asked. “I was in a car crash?”

Steve nodded, blue eyes serious. “Your cab got t-boned,” he said. He was still above me, one hand propped on the edge of my bed, one hand still on my cheek, thumb ghosting along my cheekbone. “Two bruised ribs, whiplash, and a major concussion. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse.”

I half-remembered the crash, feeling the seatbelt tighten painfully across my hips - and who wears a seatbelt in a cab anyway? - Sirens approaching, voices yelling, then blackness. But Steve had been saying something, hadn’t he? I focused on his face again. Normally I avoided looking at him directly when I wanted to concentrate - it was a lot easier to talk coherently with him when I wasn’t staring into his eyes. Or contemplating his jawline. Or imagining what his lips would feel like against mine.

‘______?”

“Hmm?” And I’d gotten sidetracked. Again. “Sorry Steve. What were you saying?” At least this time I could blame it on the concussion. 

He smiled a little, but didn’t quite seem to mean it. “I was saying that you’ve been out almost twelve hours.” He smiled again, a real smile this time, one that made his eyes crinkle and my heart flipflop. Of course the stupid heart rate monitor had to then broadcast it to the world. Steve’s eyes flashed to it, then away as my heart rate smoothed out again. But, unbelievable as it was, I had bigger things to worry about than some piece of machinery broadcasting my feelings to the world. 

“Twelve hours?” I asked, trying to sit up and failing. “Help me up, please?” I asked, trying to force my arms to cooperate. Something in my back protested. The bruised ribs? Then a very large hand went between my shoulder blades, and I was finally able to sit up, blinking the black spots from my vision. “Tell me everything.”

“The EMT’s found your phone in the cab,” Steve said. He wasn’t looking at me, but off into the middle distance again. “They called Stark Towers - it’s a good thing Darcy made you put in your ICE contact - I was closest,” Steve grimaced. “I followed the ambulance to the hospital.” Poor guy, I thought, watching his expression change, and I suddenly noticed how wrecked he looked. He looked as fraught as I’d ever seen him - his hair was messy, his clothes rumpled. If he’d still been a normal man, there would have been bags under his eyes. Another thought struck me. If he’d followed the ambulance in, and was still here, did that mean?

“You’ve been here all this time?” I asked, disbelieving. I mean, Cap was a great guy, but spending twelve hours in a hospital for some girl he barely knew was above and beyond, even for him. Not that I wouldn’t have done it for him, had the situation been reversed. I’d started visiting Darcy, my best friend from college, and, by extension, Steve and the other Avengers about six months ago, when work started taking me to New York on a semi-regular basis. I crashed on Darcy’s couch, as it was far cheaper than paying for a hotel in the city on a writer’s salary, and the last few times I’d visited, when we’d stayed up into the early hours marathoning Buffy, or Lord of the Rings, I’d ended up falling asleep on Steve’s shoulder. I’d thought we were becoming friends, at least, even if I wanted more. But surely my infatuation was one-sided, wasn’t it? I realised I was looking at him, not saying anything, and he was staring right back. Then he nodded. I thought I saw him start to lean in, to bridge the distance between us.

Of course, that was when Darcy decided to barge in. “You’re awake!” she carolled as she entered, and suddenly Steve vanished and I was enveloped in a patented Darcy-Lewis-special hug, tight around my ribs, which complained, but I didn’t care. She started to babble as she let me go, and I listened, absorbing her chatter as I watched Steve move to lean against the wall across from me. “We were so worried!” Darcy said. “We called your mom, don’t worry - Tony’s flying her out, she should be here soon, and you can stay with us as long as you need to. Everyone’s here - even Clint and Nat are on their way, and oh my gosh your eye!” I brought one hand up and patted first one eye, then the other, wincing as I hit the bruise around my left eye. 

“Lovely,” I was about to give Steve a hard time for not mentioning my shiner, but when I looked up for him, he’d vanished. Darcy noticed my gaze.

“You know,” she said more quietly. “Steve pulled rank when they wouldn’t let anyone other than family stay with you.” I swallowed. Steve never abused his position as Captain America. Ever. “I was there,” Darcy grinned. “He basically told them that unless they were going to bodily remove him from the room, he’d stay with you.” My stomach dropped. Yup. Darcy shipped it. She’d cornered me about my crush on Steve a few visits ago, and was constantly trying to get the two of us together.

Steve came back in, doctor in tow, followed by most of the rest of the gang. Not that everyone could even fit in my room, tiny as it was. But they were all here, my New York family. Tony and Pepper, Bruce, who was looking at my chart over the doc’s shoulder, Thor, giving me one of his enormous grins. And, of course, Steve, who for some reason still stood in the corner, far away. I tried to get his attention, but he was studying the doc as the doc looked at my chart, then at me, then back to the chart. 

“Hey kiddo,” That was Tony, who ruffled my hair as he deposited a vase of flowers by my bed.

“We were so worried about you!” Pepper followed, giving me a kiss on the cheek. 

“Well,” the doc said, after consulting with Bruce. The room went quiet. “Looks like you’re recovering nicely. We’ll want to keep you overnight for observation, but you should be out of here by morning. You’re one lucky lady,” he sounded distant. His work was done. 

I tried to look happy. I did. But I hate hospitals, and the thought of spending a night in one on my own was not one to warm the cockles of my heart. But I was a grown up, damn it, and I’d act like one. “Thanks, doc,” I said as cheerfully as I could manage. 

“No problem,” the man smiled at me. “Happy to see a patient recover.” He said something about getting back to his rounds, and left. I sank back a little, and grimaced as my ribs protested. I didn’t want to lie back down, but I didn’t want to sit up unassisted either. I should be able to tip the bed somehow - and then Steve was there, next to me.

“Need something?” he asked, looking worried. “I can get the doc back.”

“I just want to angle the bed,” I told him, “So I can sit up. There should be a remote… or something,” I kept looking around, and spotted the icons on the side of the bed. “Aha.” I pressed an arrow, and the bed moved. I kept fiddling with the controls until I could sit back comfortably and sighed. The others were all still talking around me. I could tell Steve was about to go stand back in his corner again, and so, with a burst of blind courage, I grabbed one of his hands. He went completely still, then turned back to me. I couldn’t read his expression at all. I curled my other hand around his, pulling it and him closer. I had to say something before he had a chance to go all standoffish again. “Steve?”

“Yeah?” his voice was lower than usual. 

“Thanks. For staying with me. “ I looked into his face as I spoke, saw his expression change. He stepped closer, right up against the edge of the bed. I could feel the heat of him, feel exactly how far away from me he was. Then he put his free arm around my shoulders, hugging me to him.

“Of course,” he murmured. “Nowhere else I’d rather be.” I leaned into him automatically, but as soon as I’d relaxed, practically propping myself up against his muscled form, he moved away. I looked down at my now-empty hands. Was it just me, or was Steve acting really weird? I was no good at this sort of thing at the best of times.

“Kiddo,” It was Tony. I looked up. Steve was standing behind Stark, towering over him, and I had to suppress a smile. It always cracked me up, the fact that Iron Man without his suit was short, at least in comparison with the other Avengers. “How would you feel about getting out of this joint?”

“What’d you mean?” I asked, confused.

“You could come back to Stark Tower - we have a clinic there - Banner could make sure you were doing ok -“

I overrode anything else he was about to say. “Hell yes.” I grinned. “Get me out of here.”

 

*****

 

Of course I wasn’t allowed to walk out of the hospital. I was wheeled out of the hospital by none other than Captain America, then whisked off to Stark Tower in a SHIELD-special black SUV. Steve picked me up and deposited me in the back seat, and I started to rethink whether this was such a good idea - fear was curling at my stomach, and I had to reach for the seatbelt a few times before I managed to actually strap myself in. 

_It’s fine, it’s fine_ , I told myself, closing my eyes and clenching my hands together in my lap. _The odds of you getting in another car crash are tiny! And you’ll be safe this time. Calm down already_. A hand covered my intertwined ones briefly, and I opened my eyes

“______?” It was Steve, of course. The universe always did seem to have a sense of humour. “You ok?” The car started to move, and my hands clenched tighter. 

“I’m good,” I said, as normally as I could manage. He still looked concerned, and, when I hissed when the car turned into traffic, nodded in understanding. He scooted closer to me, and I wanted to tell him to just put his freaking seat belt on already, knowing as I thought it that any car crash we got into, he’d survive. Stupid super-serum. He took my hands, still wrapped tight around each other in one of his. 

“We didn’t think this one through, did we?” he joked half-heartedly. 

“Not really,” I said, trying to decide where was best to look. Did I want to look where we were going? Or out of my window? I settled on looking at Steve, on his hands which were now both covering mine. We stayed like that until we got to the Tower, where there was yet another wheelchair waiting for me.

 

*****

 

_I was dreaming. I knew it, but I didn’t care. This was one of my favourite memories, one that came back every so often when I was asleep. We were watching Buffy, Steve, Darcy, and I - it had become Darcy’s mission in life to educate Steve and Thor in the best of popular culture, and this evening, we’d finally reached my all-time favourite episode, “Once More With Feeling.”  Steve was to my right, Darcy to my left as we lounged on her obscenely comfortable couch, all our feet on her coffee table._

_“So,” Darcy drawled. “You gonna sing all the words this time, ________?”_

_“Of course,” I said, automatically, then I looked at Steve. “Unless it’ll bother you, Cap?”_

_“Not at all,” he said, smiling, and my breath caught in my throat, as per usual. I swallowed, realising I’d just said I’d sing. In front of the man I had a crush on. Oops._

_A little while later…_

_“THEY GOT THE MUSTAAAAAARD OOOOOOOOUT!!” Darcy and I sang, goofy grins on our faces, belting the innocuous words in time with the on-screen characters._

_Even later that evening, when I’d fallen asleep somewhere in the middle of season seven - some Cayleb scene or other - I woke up to the sound of someone humming. I didn’t open my eyes, still too much asleep, but registered where I was - on the couch, head propped under a pillow. Someone was tucking a blanket around me. And humming something. It was Spike’s song - from Once More With Feeling, just the tune, but I couldn’t tell who was humming it without opening my eyes. So I made the monumental effort, and cracked open my eyelids. Steve was walking out of the room. Still humming._

 

I woke up in Steve’s arms. He was carrying me bridal style, striding down a corridor. I must have moved, because his eyes darted down to mine.

“Hey there, sleepyhead,” he said, grinning. “You kinda passed out on us.” I shoved a hand over my mouth to smother my yawn. It was two weeks later - Bruce had nixed air travel for me for a while, as apparently the concussion had been worse than he’d initially thought. So Tony had put me up, which was exceptionally kind of him, I reflected. This evening, we’d been at Darcy’s, she, Steve, and I, hanging out, watching Buffy, which explained the dream, but not why I was in Steve’s arms. He’d kind of ignored me, after that car ride. I mean, he’d been around. We’d been in the same room more often than not, in the last fourteen days. He was always there, standing off to one side, watching me. If I needed something - a glass of water, help moving around, he was always the first one on scene, but he hadn’t really spoken to me. In fact, that sentence was more words than I’d heard out of him in a week. 

“Where’re we going?” I asked, a bit blearily.

“Your apartment,” he said. “Don’t tell me you actually want to sleep on the couch.”

“Oh. Ok.” I realised I had the perfect opportunity to actually talk to Steve. He couldn’t exactly abandon me here - he was my mode of transport, after all. My pain meds were wearing off and I was getting a headache. Again. It probably had made me cranky, and explained why I was about to start badgering Captain America instead of just enjoying having him carry me around. “Steve?”

“Mmm?” 

“Mind telling me what the heck is up?” Steve’s eyes flashed down to mine again. 

“What’s up?”

“Why are you taking care of me?” It wasn’t the question I really wanted to ask. Why are you avoiding me? Would have been better. Or possibly ‘what am I doing wrong?” But it would have to do. “I mean,  you don’t have to help me, you know. I’m sure there are other things you’d rather be doing, other people you’d rather be with.” He cut off what I was about to say, putting me down. I realised in an off-handed way that we were next to my flat. I leaned against the wall. 

“Why would you think I don’t want to spend time with you?” Steve asked, running a hand through his hair. I thought it was adorable, then reminded myself I was ticked off with the guy. 

“Because you’ve barely spoken to me in the past week? Because you just stand in a corner? I dunno, Steve. I thought we were at least friends.” 

“I just,” he started. “I didn’t mean…” He ran his hand through his hair again. I started to turn away, reaching into my jeans pocket for my key. It wasn’t there. I turned back to Steve, who passed me the card. So he’d taken my card. But it was always in my back pant pocket.

I couldn’t help but grin at him. “Why Captain,” I said, trying not to laugh. “Did you feel me up to get my key?”

He blushed. I’d just made Captain America blush, and it was adorable. “I… I made Darcy do it,” he said, and my stomach dropped. Of course he hadn’t actually wanted to feel me up. That would mean he had feelings for me. But no. Cap was just a gentleman. 

I opened the door. “Thanks for the lift, Cap,” I said, stepping halfway into the doorway. I knew he preferred for people to actually use his name, but this time, I couldn’t quite be bothered. I wasn’t that much of a lady. Not tonight.

“I was there,” Steve said, and I stopped. “At the crash? I was there.” I couldn’t speak, couldn’t quite process the information. I stepped back out into the hall. “I was heading back home and I ran into the traffic jam. You know, I’ve got the bike, so I got real close and,” his eyes grew dark, full of pain. “And I think my heart just about stopped, because they were pulling you out of the cab, covered with blood, black eye, cuts everywhere,” He looked at me again, as if to reassure himself that I was still there, not strapped to a gurney on the streets of Manhattan, “You were unconscious, the drivers were both more or less fine. I told the EMTs who you were, called Darcy, and followed the bus in.” He was close to me now, and I had to tilt my head back just to look at him properly. “When I got there - when I saw you like that - I just.” He didn’t continue, but smoothed a strand of hair back behind my ear. “I’m sorry I’ve been a jerk.” His hand was still on my shoulder, and suddenly my heart started to pound. “When I saw you then, I realised exactly how much you meant to me. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.” His hand moved to my collar bone, my neck, under my chin. 

“Something did happen,” I said, for some reason speaking in a whisper. 

Steve took a deep breath, shoulders expanding even broader, if that was even possible. “I know we’re just friends, and I’ll be a better one, I promise.” My heart sank. I knew it. “If that’s what you want.” And my heart was soaring again, higher even than the Tower that I was in. “I’m an old man - a man from the 40s in a completely new world. I do dangerous things, I can’t control my schedule, and as we’ve discovered, I certainly can’t promise to keep you safe, so I completely understand if you want someone normal, or dependable.”

“Dependable?” The word was torn from my lips. “Steve,” I said, and I went on tiptoe to put a hand on his cheek. “You are the most dependable guy I know.” He leaned into the touch, closing his eyes.

“But still - I’m not the safest person to be around,” he said, and mumbled something. 

“What?”

“And you probably don’t even like me that way,” he said, a little louder, just loudly enough that I heard it.

“That’s my line,” I told him, covering the hand that was still on my neck. “And yes. I do.”

His eyes lit, and his lips curved into a disbelieving smile. 

“Really?” He pulled me to him, cradling me in his arms as if I’d break.

“Really.” I took a deep breath as well, breathing him in. Damn, he smelled great. He pulled back just enough that he could see my face. 

“Oh, good.” And then he was kissing me, first gently, giving me the out if I wanted it. I just smiled into the kiss and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. 


End file.
